After a good sleep, Hermione felt much more refreshed.
Her stirring when she woke caught Harry's attention, and soon the two were deep in lively discussion again.
This time, however, their conversation mostly revolved around what would happen once they reached the Weasley house.
Both coming from Muggle families, they were filled with curiosity and anticipation about the daily life of a magical household.
For them, even after a year of studying magic, a wizard's native family remained a mysterious and fascinating unknown world.
"I heard Ron say his mum uses magic for everything at home, even cooking and washing dishes," Hermione said.
"Well... actually, thinking about it, accomplishing such things through spells wouldn't be difficult. Too bad we can't do it," Harry replied.
"Sometimes I really envy Ron—he has a real home."
"Oh, Harry, actually Ron has told me more than once how much he envies you," Hermione noticed Harry's expression growing somewhat dejected and tried to comfort him, but accidentally said the wrong thing. "You know, because of his five older brothers, he's always wanted to become as noticed as you are."
"I don't need other people's attention. I just want to see my parents every day," Harry said quietly.
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Hermione felt regretful, silently cursing herself for speaking before thinking.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat oppressive, Mr. Granger's voice came from the front seat again.
"Hey, kids, I think we should be almost there! Though... I seem to be a bit lost."
The Weasley family lived on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole village in Devon.
For Mr. Granger, finding this place along the zigzagging country lanes had taken some effort, but it was still within acceptable limits.
However, upon reaching the village, he couldn't help but look puzzled.
In front of them stretched was rolling hills with fertile grasslands spreading between them, lush and green.
A gentle breeze stirred the grass in undulating waves—it hardly looked like anywhere people might live.
When he slowed the car down, the surroundings became almost unnaturally quiet.
Just then, Mr. Granger heard his daughter speaking to Harry with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, apparently having said something wrong.
He quickly spoke up to break the tension.
As soon as he finished speaking, Sherlock's voice came from the back seat.
"Just keep driving straight along that main road."
His tone was crisp and confident, sounding like heavenly music to Harry and Hermione's ears.
Both turned their heads in unison, the tense expressions on their faces instantly relaxing.
"Sherlock, you're finally awake!" Hermione exclaimed.
"My friends, I wasn't actually sleeping."
"I know that, but you looked exactly like you were asleep just now."
Hermione crossed her arms and pretended to pout, also covering her earlier embarrassment.
Hearing this, Sherlock's lips curved upward. "I must admit, you're quite right."
At this moment, Mr. Holmes also slowly awakened.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and, seeing his son's interaction with Hermione through the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with fondness as he couldn't help but show a gentle smile.
"Well, old fellow, you're finally awake!" Mr. Granger said with what seemed like slight irritation.
Hearing Mr. Granger's somewhat displeased tone, Mr. Holmes immediately turned to his right and asked with concern.
"Do you need me to take over driving?"
"No need, we're almost there!" Mr. Granger replied briefly, his voice carrying both excitement and relief at finally nearing their destination.
Following Sherlock's directions, he gripped the steering wheel firmly and continued driving steadily along the main road.
As the car moved slowly forward, something magical happened.
What had clearly been endless grassland just moments before somehow transformed—as if they'd switched movie scenes—and the landscape suddenly became rich and varied.
Soon, patches of fields spread out like carefully painted green puzzle pieces, arranged in an orderly fashion.
Clusters of trees formed dark patterns like mysterious symbols on the earth.
"Is this... is this magic? It's absolutely incredible!" Both Mr. Holmes and Mr. Granger showed expressions of amazement.
For them, this scene was truly beyond extraordinary.
After driving a bit further, several figures appeared in their line of sight.
Most striking was their hair, which gleamed bright red in the sunlight like burning flames.
From this alone, their identity was unmistakable.
It was the Weasley family.
Having learned of Sherlock and the others' arrival, the family had come early to wait at the roadside.
"The little ones' friends have come to welcome us!" Mr. Holmes's voice carried joy.
Both Sherlock's and Hermione's fathers had met Ron before, so they recognized him immediately.
Under the enthusiastic guidance of the Weasley twins, Mr. Granger carefully drove the car into a ramshackle garage.
The garage door hung half-open like an elderly person, drooping weakly.
As soon as everyone got out of the car, Ron rushed forward first.
He opened his arms wide and gave each of Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione a big hug.
"I've missed you guys so much!"
Seeing Ron's genuine emotion, all the parents smiled warmly.
Without any need for introductions, the five newcomers immediately recognized Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Arthur Weasley stood there, making a striking first impression. He was tall and thin, with somewhat disheveled red hair. Though his head was balding, what hair remained was as red as his children's, gleaming with a unique luster in the sunlight.
At this moment, his eyes sparkled with curious light.
Since this was the first time Muggles had visited their home, this curiosity was even more apparent, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
As for Mrs. Weasley, they had already met her at the train station during the holidays. She was a short, plump woman who formed a striking contrast when standing beside her husband.
Her face was round, her eyes gentle, and compared to her husband, she appeared kind and approachable, making people feel warmly welcomed at first sight.
Mr. Holmes got out of the car and immediately went forward, extending his right hand to Mr. Weasley.
"You must be Ron's parents. Very pleased to meet you."
Seeing Mr. Holmes being so proactive, Mr. Weasley appeared even more enthusiastic than him.
He grasped Mr. Holmes's hand with both of his and shook it vigorously, while turning to Mr. Granger and saying.
"Ah, this is the first time Muggles have come here—welcome to the Burrow!"
'The Burrow?'
Hearing this name, Sherlock's brow furrowed slightly.
His gaze swept over the Weasley family like a scanner, and before long, he had deduced quite a bit of useful information about them.
[Tall, thin, balding male in his early forties. From his slightly curved back and tired demeanor, the family's economic situation is poor. The curiosity in his eyes shows he's full of exploratory desire for the unknown, and he's been working overtime frequently recently—his dark circles almost rival mine.]
[Plump, short woman in her early forties. From the apron around her waist and the warm atmosphere she radiates, she values family highly. Her hands are somewhat rough from years of labor, with vegetable stains still remaining under her fingernails, indicating she's skilled at cooking. The gentle smile when she and her husband's eyes met earlier shows they have deep feelings for each other—they should have been eating sausages not long ago.]
Sherlock was already familiar with Percy as a prefect and the Weasley twins.
Ron needed no analysis at all—these four didn't require further study.
However,...
Percy actually had a girlfriend?
This was unexpected news, and from the other Weasley family members' behavior, they didn't seem to know about it.
Besides this, the remaining young girl also caught his attention.
She hid behind Mrs. Weasley like a timid little rabbit, showing only half her head, appearing very shy.
Yet she kept poking her head out from time to time, her bright eyes curiously examining everyone.
[Shy little girl who deliberately dressed up, with her hair neatly arranged and a pretty hair clip—she clearly valued today's meeting highly. From how she keeps stealing glances at Harry, she seems particularly interested in someone among us.]
After observing the Weasley family members, Sherlock's gaze turned to the Weasley house's courtyard.
If this had been before he knew about magic, he might have found it difficult to understand how this building was constructed.
Though it was clearly several stories high, the rooms were somehow stacked together in a crooked, haphazard way, like a pile of randomly assembled building blocks, each floor seeming to challenge the limits of gravity.
Even building blocks stacked this way would probably collapse instantly.
Much less a real house—it completely defied scientific logic.
But having studied magic for a year, he could determine that this had originally been a large pigsty built of stone.
On this foundation, purely through miraculous magic, it had been built into the current small building.
So, it really was like stacking blocks—one room upon another, built upward.
In front of the house stood a crooked sign bearing the name they'd just heard mentioned. "The Burrow."
It certainly suited this uniquely ramshackle-looking house.
As they followed the Weasley family inside, Ron slowed his steps.
He lowered his head slightly, with a trace of discomfort on his face, and asked his three friends.
"It's not much, is it?"
His voice was small, with a hint of uneasiness, as if afraid of hearing an unfavorable answer.
"It's absolutely wonderful," Harry said, his eyes lighting up with a genuine smile.
In his view, this place was infinitely better than the oppressive, stifling environment of Privet Drive.
It could be said that this vigorous, flourishing scene was right before his eyes.
Hermione nodded vigorously as well, looking around with eyes full of novelty and appreciation.
"Though named the Burrow, it certainly has its own unique charm."
Ron could naturally tell that his two friends spoke from the heart, and his face finally showed a relieved expression.
When all three turned their gazes toward Sherlock, he pondered briefly before giving an honest assessment.
"Indeed, it's not much."
Harry. Σ (っ°Д°;)っ
Hermione. (/▽＼)
Ron. (; Д`)
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